Sealers' Oven
Encyclopedia
Sealers' Oven is a man-made structure of mud and stone located at 34° 53' 40.6" S 118° 20' 2.3" E on Waychinicup Inlet
near Albany
, Western Australia
. Believed to be a semi-permanent bread oven built by sealer
s around 1800, it predates European colonisation of Western Australia by over twenty years, and is therefore one of the state
's oldest non-Indigenous
artifacts.
Built on a granite
outcrop about four metres above the high tide line, it is a roughly circular kiln
about one metre high and 1.5 metres across. At the top there is an access hole about 30 centimetres across, and there are two small ventilation holes at the base on the eastern side. It is built from granite stones, broad and flat at the bottom but somewhat larger and more circular at the top, suggesting that it may have been partially rebuilt.
Sealers' Oven has been known of since the early days of colonisation, but was neither used nor protected until 1973, when the Government of Western Australia
established a twelve square metre reserve around the oven at the request of the National Trust of Australia
. It was classified by the National Trust in 1977, and has been part of the Waychinicup National Park
since the park's establishment in 1990. In 1997 it was placed on the Heritage Council of Western Australia
's Register of Heritage Places.
Waychinicup River
The Waychinicup River is located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The headwaters of the river are located near the town of Manypeaks along the South Coast Highway, with an elevation of approximately above sea level and flows in a generally southerly direction through the Mount...
near Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. Believed to be a semi-permanent bread oven built by sealer
Seal hunting
Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in five countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Norway and Russia...
s around 1800, it predates European colonisation of Western Australia by over twenty years, and is therefore one of the state
States and territories of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...
's oldest non-Indigenous
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
artifacts.
Built on a granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
outcrop about four metres above the high tide line, it is a roughly circular kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
about one metre high and 1.5 metres across. At the top there is an access hole about 30 centimetres across, and there are two small ventilation holes at the base on the eastern side. It is built from granite stones, broad and flat at the bottom but somewhat larger and more circular at the top, suggesting that it may have been partially rebuilt.
Sealers' Oven has been known of since the early days of colonisation, but was neither used nor protected until 1973, when the Government of Western Australia
Government of Western Australia
The formation of the Government of Western Australia is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1890, although it has been amended many times since then...
established a twelve square metre reserve around the oven at the request of the National Trust of Australia
National Trust of Australia
The Australian Council of National Trusts is the peak body for community-based, non-government organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage....
. It was classified by the National Trust in 1977, and has been part of the Waychinicup National Park
Waychinicup National Park
Waychinicup National Park is a in Western Australia , southeast of Perth and east of Albany and extends as far Cheynes Beach near Bremer Bay. Facilities at the park include a camping area and bush toilet near the inlet of the Waychinicup River....
since the park's establishment in 1990. In 1997 it was placed on the Heritage Council of Western Australia
Heritage Council of Western Australia
The Heritage Council of Western Australia is the Government of Western Australia agency created to identify, conserve and promote places of cultural heritage significance in the state.It was created under the Heritage of Western Australia Act...
's Register of Heritage Places.